Thanks, Andrea, for confirming my suspicion that the mushy ones
weren't what I want.  I live in Maryland.  I guess this is a bad time
of year to try and find avocados.  Most of the ones in my local store
are those little deep green ones.  Summer time brings out the bigger
lighter green ones.  Which type do you prefer?

This post not CC'd by email
On Sat, 25 Feb 2006 13:08:25 -0800, Andrea2
<andrea6192001nospam@yahoo.com> wrote:

G'day G'day Andrea2,

That is such good advice.  At the Farmers' Markets here there are two
avocado sellers. One sells on Saturday and the other on Sunday.  We
buy from 114 Avocados on a Sunday and the fruit is excellent and
ripens without the brown patches.  They love their avocados.  The
other crowd are nice people, truly nice people but they are thinking
of selling their orchard.  

Most of the avocados here are Hass. It is common world wide.  To tell
visually if it is ripe look for a mahogany skin. If it is black it is
too late.  The 114 avocados have there's classified.  Eat now, 2-3
days, 4-5 days, 6-7 days.  They are that good because they are highly
experienced.

If you buy them from a roadside stall, NEVER squeeze them.  No one
ever handles the 114 avocados like that. If you buy them off a stall
expect bruised brown splotches because people have squeezed.  

The least offensive way to test is to touch the stem. If it gives
slightly it is ripe. It just about falls out it is rotten. If it is
firm it isn't ready. With practice you tell whether it suitable for
salads or guacamole.  

Sometimes the skill is simple ... if you are in the know.

Best wishes,

Pretty difficult to do in a supermarket where the people stocking the
shelves don't know what half of the produce is if it isn't labeled for
them.

<snip>

I'll add this because no-one else mentioned it.

If you want to encourage ripening - leave them out of the
fridge in a paper bag. Adding another fruit, like banana, to
the bag seems to speed up the process for both.

If you want to delay ripening - leave them in the fridge. I
sometimes buy five or six at a time at the weekend market
and can set them up to ripen one a day by those techniques.

Avoid avocados with little knots or similar blemishes on the
outer skin - we call them "bee-stings". Usually there will
be small hard lumps under those spots when you peel them.

If you need to use a peeled ripe avocado, run a knife right
around it down to the seed on the long axis, then twist the
avocado halves slightly to halve it. Take the half without
the seed and gently slide a large spoon between the skin and
the flesh and it should seperate easily into a peeled half.
Hit the seed with the blade of a knife just hard enough to
stick in it without damaging the flesh, twist and remove the
seed stuck to the knife. Then repeat the spoon process with
the other half.

I often eat a half straight from the skin with a teaspoon,
as a snack.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 2x500mg

I've found it best to buy them green and let them ripen in my fruitbowl.  
I often buy a small green banana just for the ripening gas it gives off
as it gets yellow.  That helps the rest of my fruit to ripen, too.

Priscilla

The best way to buy avocados is to find tree-ripened ones. I'm lucky
enough to live 6 miles from Mexico where I get them for $1.50 a kilo (3
large ones) In order to transport them back to the US, the seed  must be
removed. The Mexican vendors put a piece of jalapeno pepper inside the
avocado to fill the void and prevent browning.

When not able to go across the border, I look for ones with a little
"give" . If I can press them with my fingers and leave a dent, they are
too soft. On the stem-end (where the scar is) you should be able to
press and feel a bit of give, too.

In  the long run, the ability to choose avocados is a gift, not unlike
the ability to choose a good mellon. JMTCW

Janet, care giver to T2